Chapter 15: Spirituality, Religion, and the Supernatural Multiple Choice 1. According to anthropologists, which of the following statements is true? A. religion is very common to humankind B. religion is found in primitive societies only C. religion has been found to be a part of all cultures D. religion is virtually a universal, although there have been some groups without it ANS: C TYPE: Conceptual PG: 315 2. In anthropology, religion and spirituality are classified as part of a culture's: A. structure B. infrastructure C. substructure D. superstructure ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual PG: 315 3. In the United States today, there are approximately how many declared practitioners of Buddhism? A. 10,000-20,000 B. 9-10 million C. 800,000-1 million D. 2-3 million ANS: D TYPE: Factual PG: 316 4. Which of the following is larger in the United States? A. Buddhism B. Islam C. Hinduism D. Wicca ANS: B TYPE: Factual PG: 316 5. In what century was there a common intellectual tradition that gave rise to the idea that modern science would soon replace religion? A. 19th century B. 18th century C. 20th century D. 17th century ANS: A TYPE: Factual PG: 316 6. Which of the following has been showing some decline in membership in recent years, while all of the others have been increasing in membership? A. evangelical Christian religions B. fundamentalist religious traditions C. nondenominational spiritual traditions D. traditional, mainline Christian religions ANS: D TYPE: Factual PG: 316 7. Approximately what percentage of adults in the world claims to be "nonreligious"? A. 26 B. 7 C. 40 D. 16 ANS: D TYPE: Factual PG: 316 8. The collective body of ideas, beliefs, and values by which a group of people makes sense of the world and their place in it is: A. infrastructure B. spirituality C. religion D. worldview ANS: C TYPE: Factual PG: 317 9. Which one of the following characteristics distinguishes spirituality from religion? A. belief system B. ceremonial practices C. concern with the sacred D. individual practice ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual PG: 317 10. What sacred narratives explain the fundamentals of human existence? A. legends B. texts C. myths D. rituals ANS: C TYPE: Conceptual PG: 318 11. What is the anthropological definition of "myth"? A. ancestral narratives B. a collection of legends and tall tales C. untrue narratives D. explanatory narratives ANS: D TYPE: Factual PG: 318-319 12. Which of the following is the oldest known sacred text(s)? A. Bible B. Vedas C. Koran D. Book of Chibcha ANS: B TYPE: Factual PG: 318 13. A collection of gods and goddesses is known as: A. pantheon B. dogma C. deity D. trinity ANS: A TYPE: Factual PG: 319 14. The ancient Greeks had a TYPE: of religion known as: A. pluralism B. pantheonism C. polytheism D. polyvalence ANS: C TYPE: Applied PG: 319 15. In a society where women hold little public authority, you would commonly find a religion in which: A. there are many supreme goddesses B. there are many supreme gods C. the supreme goddess is feminine D. the supreme god is masculine ANS: D TYPE: Applied PG: 320 16. The belief that nature is filled with a variety of unattached or free-ranging spirits is: A. animism B. animatism C. spirituality D. naturalism ANS: A TYPE: Factual PG: 321 17. The concepts of mana, manitou, and wakonda are all associated with: A. fundamentalism B. monotheism C. animism D. animatism ANS: D TYPE: Applied PG: 321 18. Which of the following is not considered to be a strong patriarchic religion? A. Christianity B. Wicca C. Islam D. Judaism ANS: B TYPE: Factual PG: 322 19. A part-time religious specialist that generally serves as a healer and spiritual mediator is called a: A. shaman B. priest C. spiritual guide D. holy father ANS: A TYPE: Factual PG: 323 20. Which kind of religious specialist would you expect to find in a foraging society? A. spiritual guide B. priest C. sorcerer D. shaman ANS: D TYPE: Applied PG: 323, 325 21. Which of the following is one of the most common activities of shamans: cross-culturally? A. controlling animals B. healing the sick C. bringing rain D. punishing enemies ANS: B TYPE: Conceptual PG: 323 22. Which of the following is not part of the traditional shamanic complex? A. chief B. shaman C. patient D. community ANS: A TYPE: Factual PG: 323 23. The widespread occurrence of shamanism and the remarkable similarities noted among various shamanic traditions are due to: A. common neurological inheritance B. legitimacy and accuracy of the religion C. universal ailments of humankind D. diffusion of tradition among groups ANS: A TYPE: Applied PG: 325 24. Approximately what percentage of older women serve as shamans among the Ju/'hoansi? A. 0% B. 25% C. 50% D. 33% ANS: D TYPE: Factual PG: 325 25. The meanings ascribed to sensations experienced in altered states are: A. determined solely by the shaman B. universally the same C. biologically determined D. culturally determined ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual PG: 325 26. The powerful healing force recognized by the Ju/'hoansi is called: A. boa B. manitou C. n/um D. mana ANS: C TYPE: Applied PG: 325 27. Which of the following is not a common reason to enter a trance state among the Ju/'hoansi? A. to bring rain B. to heal the sick C. to control animals D. to preserve crops ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual PG: 325 28. All of the following are ways to "conjure up" the healing force latent in Ju/'hoansi bodies except: A. dancing B. intense concentration C. eating mushrooms D. close exposure to the heat of a fire ANS: C TYPE: Applied PG: 325-326 29. Among the Ju/'hoansi, consciousness is a sign that: A. the gods inhabit the person's body B. the prayer has been answered C. a hunter will have success the next day D. the soul and body are reunited ANS: D TYPE: Applied PG: 326 30. In anthropology, marriage rituals are almost always classified as: A. rites of union B. rites of transition C. rites of intensification D. rites of passage ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual PG: 327-328 31. The transition that is effected in a rite of passage is comparable to: A. social death and rebirth B. marriage and union C. sorcery and witchcraft D. specialization ANS: A TYPE: Conceptual PG: 327 32. Among Australian aborigines, a common way of inducing courage and manhood in boys involves: A. scarifying their chests B. knocking out a tooth C. sending them out alone D. piercing their noses ANS: B TYPE: Applied PG: 328 33. Rites of passage include all of the following stages except: A. incorporation B. transformation C. transition D. separation ANS: B TYPE: Factual PG: 328 34. When do Mende girls undergo female initiation rites? A. after they move out of their natal homes B. after they have their first child C. after the beginning of menstruation D. immediately before the beginning of menstruation ANS: C TYPE: Factual PG: 328 35. Which of the following is not a common practice in Mende girl initiation? A. harsh teaching and training B. undergoing a clitoridectomy C. spending significant amounts of time alone and secluded D. smearing body with white clay ANS: A TYPE: Conceptual PG: 328 36. What is a clitoridectomy? A. form of female circumcision B. TYPE: of marriage C. process of giving birth D. tattooing the face ANS: A TYPE: Factual PG: 328 37. Why do the Mende practice clitoridectomy? A. they believe it enhances female reproductive potential B. it makes childbirth much easier C. it enhances the beauty of women in public D. it is a healthy procedure that makes women cleaner ANS: A TYPE: Conceptual PG: 328 38. The period of isolation that forms part of a rite of passage is which stage? A. separation B. transition C. transformation D. incorporation ANS: B TYPE: Applied PG: 328 39. The male puberty rite found among the Australian aborigines involves removing the young man from society and: A. leaving him to find his way back to his group B. marrying him to a young woman C. tattooing him D. teaching him ANS: D TYPE: Applied PG: 328 40. Clitoridectomy is sometimes referred to as: A. birth rites of passage B. female geniture mutilation C. female genital mutilation D. female genital imitation ANS: C TYPE: Factual PG: 328 41. Why is there so much controversy over clitoridectomy? A. it is a non-Western religious practice B. it is extremely dangerous to women's health C. it causes women to have too much fertility D. it allows women to practice birth control ANS: B TYPE: Conceptual PG: 329 42. Which of the following best describes witchcraft? A. belief that some individuals possess the supernatural power to manipulate objects B. belief that some individuals possess psychic power to cause harm C. belief that some individuals can travel at night and cause altered states D. belief that some individuals possess specific formulas to temporarily change people ANS: B TYPE: Conceptual PG: 330 43. Which of the following is not commonly used in the practice of contagious magic? A. clips of hair from someone B. images and likenesses of someone C. fingernail clippings from someone D. a special piece of jewelry that belongs to someone ANS: B TYPE: Applied PG: 330 44. The Ibibio make a distinction between: A. sorcerers and priestesses B. evil and benign witches C. benign sorcerers and witches D. sorcerers and benign witches ANS: D TYPE: Factual PG: 331 45. From the 15th through the 17th centuries, approximately how many individuals were executed as witches in Europe? A. 200 B. 1500 C. 2 million D. 500,000 ANS: D TYPE: Factual PG: 332 46. Which of the following best describes revitalization movements? A. a movement for radical cultural reform in response to widespread social disruption B. a movement for political change in response to economic destruction C. a movement for liberation during times of oppression by outside forces D. a religious movement that styles itself on communistic structures ANS: A TYPE: Conceptual PG: 332 47. What is a "cargo cult"? A. a rite of passage B. a revitalization movement C. a form of imitative magic D. a form of religious worship ANS: B TYPE: Conceptual PG: 332 48. Which of the following is not a common belief or element associated with cargo cults? A. worship in a temple compound B. arrival of material riches C. resurrection of dead relatives D. destruction of whites ANS: A TYPE: Conceptual PG: 332 49. In the United States which of the following revitalization movements occurred? A. Asatru B. cargo cults C. Mau Mau uprising D. Sun Dance ANS: D TYPE: Factual PG: 332 True/False 50. One goal of anthropologists is to develop a better religion. ANS: False TYPE: Conceptual PG: 315 51. Ancestral spirits reflect and reinforce social reality. ANS: True TYPE: Conceptual PG: 315 52. Religion and spirituality are best examined as part of a society's worldview. ANS: True TYPE: Conceptual PG: 315 53. It is a common belief among social scientists that religion will be replaced by science. ANS: False TYPE: Conceptual PG: 316 54. More than 40% of the world's adult population claims to be atheist. ANS: False TYPE: Factual PG: 317 55. Religions tend to perpetuate the social structure of the society of which they are a part. ANS: True TYPE: Factual PG: 318 56. The Vedas are believed to be one of the oldest known sacred texts. ANS: True TYPE: Factual PG: 318 57. The word "myth" means "untrue stories" in Greek. ANS: False TYPE: Factual PG: 318 58. Goddesses are most likely to be prominent in food-foraging cultures. ANS: False TYPE: Conceptual PG: 320 59. The Aztecs had a monotheistic religion. ANS: False TYPE: Factual PG: 320 60. Some groups have deities to whom they pay almost no attention. ANS: True TYPE: Factual PG: 320 61. Industrial societies are typically animistic. ANS: False TYPE: Conceptual PG: 321 62. In industrial societies there are no shamans. ANS: False TYPE: Factual PG: 321 63. The Ju/'hoansi enter into a trance in order to heal themselves. ANS: True TYPE: Applied PG: 326 64. The Mende practice female circumcision. ANS: True TYPE: Factual PG: 328 65. More than 2000 women were accused of being witches in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. ANS: False TYPE: Factual PG: 330 66. The adoration of saints' relics is a form of contagious magic. ANS: True TYPE: Applied PG: 330 67. Revitalization movements lie at the root of all known religions. ANS: True TYPE: Factual PG: 332 Fill in the Blank 68. The collective body of ideas that members of a culture generally share concerning the ultimate shape and substance of their reality is called a ________________. ANS: worldview TYPE: Factual PG: 315 69. When there is an individual focus on the sacred, as distinguished from material matters, and in a non-traditional format, it is called _______________. ANS: spirituality TYPE: Factual PG: 317 70. When a group sees themselves as part of nature, they have a _______________ worldview. ANS: naturalistic TYPE: Applied PG: 317 71. An organized system of ideas about the spiritual sphere, along with ceremonial acts by which people attempt to interpret and control their reality is called ________________. ANS: religion TYPE: Factual PG: 317 72. The explanatory narrative that rationalizes and reinforces religious beliefs and practice is called _______________. ANS: myth TYPE: Factual PG: 318 73. A collection of gods and goddesses is known as a _______________. ANS: pantheon TYPE: Factual PG: 319 74. _______________ is the belief in multiple gods and goddesses. ANS: Polytheism TYPE: Factual PG: 319 75. A belief in ___________________________ is consistent with the widespread notion that human beings are made up of two closely intertwined parts, a physical body and some mental component or spiritual self. ANS: ancestral spirits TYPE: Conceptual PG: 320 76. _______________ spirits played an important role in the patrilineal society of traditional China. ANS: Ancestral TYPE: Applied PG: 320 77. The belief that nature is enlivened or energized by an impersonal spiritual force is called _______________. ANS: animatism TYPE: Factual PG: 321 78. A male, full-time religious specialist is called a _______________. ANS: priest TYPE: Conceptual PG: 323 79. Ministers, imams, lamas, and rabbis are together known in anthropology as _______________. ANS: priests TYPE: Conceptual PG: 323 80. The healing force that the Ju/'hoansi use to cure is called _______________. ANS: n/um TYPE: Applied PG: 325 81. The shamanic complex involves three agents: the shaman, the patient, and the _______________. ANS: community TYPE: Applied PG: 327 82. _______________ also is called religion in action. ANS: Ritual TYPE: Factual PG: 327 83. _______________ is a modern, nature-oriented religion that draws upon ancient western European and pre-Christian beliefs. ANS: Wicca TYPE: Conceptual PG: 330 84. ________________ is an explanation of events based on the belief that certain individuals possess an innate psychic power capable of causing harm. ANS: Witchcraft TYPE: Factual PG: 330 85. The two fundamental types of magic, according to Frazier, are ________________ and _______________. ANS: imitative (sympathetic), contagious TYPE: Factual PG: 331 86. A __________________________ is a spiritual movement promising resurrection of dead relatives, destruction of whites, and arrival of material riches. ANS: cargo cult TYPE: Factual PG: 332 Short Answer 87. What is a society's worldview? ANS: It is the collective body of ideas that members of a culture generally share concerning the ultimate shape and substance of their reality. PG: 315 TYPE: Factual 88. What primary goals does religion fulfill for a society? ANS: It fulfills the need to confront and explain death, it provides hope and relief, it reinforces group norms and provides moral sanctions and ideology, and it is used in healing. PG: 315 TYPE: Applied 89. Compare and contrast the concepts of "religion" and "spirituality." ANS: Spirituality is concerned with sacred matters, but is individual rather than collection and does not require a traditional organization or distinctive format; religion is also concerned with sacred matters, but is associated with a collective and ceremonial acts. PG: 315 TYPE: Applied 90. Why do scientists believe there has been a rise in religious fundamentalism in recent times? ANS: Scientists believe there has been a rise in fundamentalism because science itself has created increased anxieties and has removed many of the psychological props humans had used to explain reality; also, increased mobilization, due to globalization, has broken apart traditional communities and left people more vulnerable to economic hardships. PG: 316 TYPE: Conceptual 91. Define animatism and give an example. ANS: It is the belief that nature is enlivened or energized by an impersonal spiritual force or supernatural energy, which may make itself manifest in any special place, thing, or living creature. PG: 321 TYPE: Factual 92. Describe the traditional role of the shaman. ANS: A part-time religious specialist whose personal experiences of entering altered states at will allow them to contact and utilize ordinarily hidden reality to acquire knowledge, power, and benefits for others. PG: 323 TYPE: Applied 93. What are the primary differences between the priest and the shaman? ANS: Priest is full-time, commonly tells people what to do, is socially initiated, part of a religious organization, and receives power from society; shaman is part-time, commonly tells supernaturals what to do, is not part of a religious organization, and receives power directly from supernatural sources through altered states of consciousness. PG: 323 TYPE: Applied 94. What are the benefits of shamanism for individual members? ANS: It promotes release of tension and psychological assurance. PG: 327 TYPE: Conceptual 95. Choose a rite of passage and analyze it through each of the three stages. ANS: After choosing the ritual, students should divide their analysis into the stages of separation, transition, and incorporation. PG: 328 TYPE: Applied 96. Why have many countries signed bans against supporting clitoridectomy? ANS: It causes intense pain and can be accompanied by excessive bleeding, shock, infection, damage to the urethra or anus, tetanus, bladder infections, septicemia, HIV, hepatitis B, and intense pain and risk during childbirth. PG: 329 TYPE: Applied 97. How does the belief in witchcraft serve as a form of social control? ANS: It allows for public scrutiny of people's behavior, reminding them of social rules and norms, and it encourages them to suppress any nonconformist behavior. PG: 330 TYPE: Conceptual 98. What is divination? ANS: It is a magical procedure or spiritual ritual designed to find out about what is not knowable by ordinary means. PG: 330 TYPE: Factual 99. How do the Ibibio of Nigeria identify witches? ANS: Witches are believed to be those who live in the region and have odd behavior; they may be immoral, unsocial, or different in some way. They are believed to look and act mean and to be socially disruptive. PG: 331 TYPE: Applied 100. Why did cargo cults develop so prevalently in Melanesia in the early 20th century? ANS: It was a time of the spread of Western culture and goods, and natives often had to handle these in loading and unloading. They developed religious explanations for how they could also obtain these material goods. PG: 332 TYPE: Conceptual Essay 101. Religion may serve to maintain an existing social order. A standard argument being, "while you might suffer in this life, you will be rewarded in the next one." This logic prevailed throughout much of the early history of the Catholic Church in the New World. However, starting in the 1960s, many priests working in Latin America adopted a more critical perspective of the social order and their job of challenging a system of social inequality. This movement was known as Liberation Theology. Discuss the role that religion plays in the social order and how it can be used as an agent of change. ANS: Will vary 102. While religion tends to be more structured and associated with the collectivity, spirituality exists on an individual, somewhat idiosyncratic, level. Discuss how religion and spirituality merge in many people's lives and the effect that each may have on the other. ANS: Will vary 103. As the anthropological definition of religion is relatively broad, actively reflect on your life and any rite of passage you may have gone through. What was the cultural significance and what was the personal significance of this transition? ANS: Will vary 104. What is a revitalization movement? Choose an example from the United States and discuss the effects that religion played in the movement's success or failure. Do you think the same movement could have occurred in a society different from the United States? ANS: Will vary